Manx Care forecasting £27.2m overspend

Pay awards and increasing costs among budgetary pressures for health service

Pay awards and increasing costs are among the factors behind a forecast overspend of almost £30m at Manx Care this year.

The healthcare body says it's currently expecting to be £27.2m over budget for the 2023-24 financial year.

Manx Care published an updated set of figures as part of its agenda for this week's board meeting.

The accounts show a forecast overspend of £27.2m, but Manx Care says it's expecting a sum to be approved from the Department of Health and Social Care's reserve, which will reduce that total to £22.2m.

An expected pay award for Manx Care employees above 2% is among the pressures on the board's budget, with Manx Care stating this accounts for £7.2m of the overspend.

Meanwhile staffing costs for the year to date are so far £0.9m over budget.

The board's Finance, Performance and Commissioning committee also cites an increased spend of £24.4m compared to a budget increase of £20m.

The committee's report says the overspend is a concern, and has escalated it to the Manx Care board.